In preparation for the spring climbing season, I went over some of my notes from the fall and was reminded of a series of interviews with Olympic/World Cup skier and NFL football player Jeremy Bloom from the Podium Sports Journal. I have found these interviews, albeit brief, to contain insight and bits of wisdom that have been helpful in the sports I pursue. For example, while riding the Tunnel Trail recently in Santa Barbara, I distinctly felt that while the technical nature of the trail requires certain physical skills, the mental side of riding the trail well, and safely, is perhaps the most important. I focus a lot on teaching the mental game to my students, although I do find it to be one of the more challenging things I instruct. In other words, I don't have clear metrics for determining the effectiveness of these teaching tools, but I believe that they make all the difference in the world. The following video gives a sense of these mental skills. I you will find it useful as well!
